The latest twist in the pandemic in the United States brings back the requirement for negative coronavirus tests for travelers wishing to enter the country by air from China. The Joe Biden administration announced this Wednesday. The measure will apply from next January 5th.
The new restriction, issued by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also applies to flights from Hong Kong and Macau and comes in response to Washington’s growing concerns about the extraordinary increase in cases in China, according to the Communist Party Abruptly in early December that the zero-Covid policy would be overturned amid protests over three years in prison, as well as “a lack of transparency” about the outbreak that has plagued the Asian country in recent weeks.
US authorities are wary of the true number of cases Beijing admits and also the information about the variant that dominates these infections. “This data,” the CDC statement said, “is critical to effectively tracking the increase in cases and reducing the possibility of new entries.” [en el país norteamericano] new and worrying variants”.
Beijing’s response comes from the Foreign Ministry: “China has always believed that measures to prevent the epidemic should be scientific and moderate, and should not affect normal exchanges between people,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the ministry. “We need all parties to work together scientifically against the pandemic, to ensure the safe movement of people between countries, to maintain the stability of the global supply chain, and to promote the resumption of healthy growth of the world economy.” It is paradoxical that after three years, China draconian restrictions on the movement of people is now the defender of freedom of travel in the international body.
The measure affects passengers from the age of two, regardless of their nationality and vaccination status. The requirement to present a negative test (either a PCR test or an antigen test taken no later than two days before departure) applies to those people from the Asian giant entering the United States through a third country or its airports for use the connection with other goals.
Hong Kong scientists have identified the omicron subvariant known as BF.7 as the dominant variant in China. In the United States, BA.5 continues to be stronger, according to epidemiologists, although BF.7 has been present in the country since at least last September. At this point in late December, it is only 4% of infections.
US authorities have reasoned that the measures will not come into effect until January 5 to give airlines time to adapt to the new rules.
The United States is the latest country to join a restrictive trend in travel that seemed to be over. Japan, Italy, Taiwan and India have also announced anti-Covid measures for flights from China. Tokyo, for example, will require them to undergo a Covid-19 test upon arrival in the country from December 30. Indian authorities have gone further by forcing travelers from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand to submit a negative test. They must prove that they are healthy upon arrival at the airport. Positives must be quarantined for 10 days.